'Unbearable pain while tattooing'; Lesser known story of hardcore Ram bhakts 'Ramnamis' in India

NEW DELHI: Prana Pratishtha in Ayodhya is all over the news and the consecration ceremony that was done successfully is being celebrated in wild spirits all across India by devotees. The 500-year-long wait has finally reached a point of reconciliation. With all Indians enlivening the moment, let us shed light on some Ram devotees who have evaded media eyes for a long. Let us dwell in their lives.

Sandalwood tree weighing 3610 kg and 108 feet long, a stone from the Ashoka forest in Sri Lanka and 550 kg organic saffron brought from Amaravati village in Maharashtra are few among the precious gifts that devotees showered on the Ram temple trust ahead of the Prana Pratishtha ceremony.

But then there are Ramnamis, the Ram devotees who follow a liberal approach to worshipping. These people are mostly seen in the Chhattisgarh region of India. They don’t simply believe in wearing saffron clothes or shaving their heads to get enlightened or be closer to lord Ram, though they have not rejected these notions. Ramnamis follow a special worshipping pattern as they tattoo Lord Ram's name all across their body. This started as a movement against the caste system prevailing in India.

Ramnamis consider Lord Ram as the true God of all, but won’t worship the idol. The tattoo on the body is intended to show Lord Ram’s omnipresence. A century ago, the members of the Ramanami Samaj took the momentous decision to tattoo the name of Lord Rama on their bodies and faces. It is reported that older Ramnami people are doing the tattooing.

The tattooing process is no cool process but the devotees will endure serious pain unlike the professional tattooing done in today’s time. The ink is created from the soot from burning kerosene oil in an earthen pot and the senior most Ramnamis are given the task of tattooing the name on devotees' body. The pain sometimes becomes unbearable but devotees chant Lord Ram’s name which they believe will soothe the pain miraculously.

Recently, the Ramanamis claimed that their ancestors had prophesied about the consecration of the Ramlalla idol in Ayodhya almost 150 years ago. Ramanamis believe that those who worship Lord Rama can have a deep connection with him (Ram).